Windows Phone to grab 13% market share in 2012?

Just a few days ago, Martino was saying that Windows Phone had less than 1% market share both here and in the US. But dry those tears, Microsoft guy. Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) of Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry (phew) has faith.

According to MIC, Windows Phone will grab a significant 13% of the smartphone market in 2012.

Really? Really? Nokia was expected to turn things around with its highly publicised arrival on the Windows Phone scene last year, but reaction to the Lumia 800 has been decidedly lukewarm.

On the plus side, Windows Phone Tango will introduce support for low-end phones, which will – in all likelihood – be a pretty big dealio. It’s easy to forget that there’s a huuuge demand for budget smartphones.

But still, 13% of the entire smartphone market? We’re not convinced. Prove us wrong, Microsoft. Prove us wrong.

Meanwhile, MIC predicts Android’s smartphone market share will rise to 50% in 2012, with iOS a fair bit behind on 19%. Still, that’s one in five people with a smartphone owning an iPhone. Not too shabby for Apple.

That 50% Android share will largely be comprised of Samsung and HTC smartphones. They’ll end on the year on 21.7% and 10.9% respectively. Supposedly.

All in all, smartphone shipments will rise 35.8% from 452 million in 2011 to 614 million in 2012. That’s a lot of smartphones, man.

Retail staff will only be able to sell WP7 devices to people who really do know nothing about smartphones (don't get me started on picking on the vulnerable and unknowing). Anyone even half educated in such matters would head straight for an iPhone or Android device...as the majority of the market do at the moment.

I agree 100% with Blizz, M$ need to make WP7 better, not try and force it on people.